“It’s a strange and scary time,” Krummi Björgvinsson says—over FaceTime, to be safe—when talk inevitably turns from his newest solo single “Frozen Teardrops,” which the Grapevine initially reached out to chat out, to the current pandemic. “But it’s inspiring in a weird way too. It brings up feelings that maybe you haven’t felt before. You never think anything like this will happen and then it does, and then you have all this time on your hands,” he says. “I managed to release two singles whilst this COVID thing has been going on,” he continues. “I’ve been writing a lot of music at home. It’s been pretty good in that way. I’ve been reading books and looking after the plants and the cats.”
An old soul with stories to tell
A household name in Iceland, Krummi is well known for his genre-spanning work with bands like Mínus and LEGEND. Constantly immersed in music, several sideline projects have kept him busy, including country blues band Esja and abstract punk outfit Döpur, a project he worked on with his girlfriend, Linnea Hellström. One might find it hard to pin down exactly what kind of musician Krummi is, but he insists that, at his heart, he’s an old school Americana kinda guy. “It’s the music that I’ve always been most into. My parents listened to it, so I listened from a very young age,” he explains. “It’s really in my nervous system. It’s what comes out when I sit down with the guitar. It moves me the most emotionally.”
And from this passion, a new project was born: a soon-to-be-released solo album, full of the stories, emotion, and old-school Americana sound he loves so much. He released his first single “Stories To Tell” last year, and has since followed it up with three more country-vintage-rock tracks. But why has it taken this veteran of the Icelandic music scene two decades to decide to go solo? “I feel like I’m good enough now,” he explains, humbly. “I’ve spent a long time harnessing the craft and getting better at playing guitar, singing and writing. I learned a lot from being in bands. So three years ago I sat down with a guitar and thought, ‘Maybe I should start writing something’ and I just couldn’t stop. I wrote like 40 songs.”
The show must go on
His latest single ‘Frozen Teardrops’, is a perfect example of the direction his solo music is taking. Described by Krummi as “a lush outlaw country style tune with a pinch of gospel” the song is emblematic of Krummi’s aforementioned passion for Rock n Roll and Americana. A raw, unadulterated look at homelessness and street life, the song’s heartfelt lyrics tell of what life entails for those on the fringes of society, who spend their days searching for love, care and understanding. “Give you all my frozen teardrops, While I beg on my knees. Here we are alone and starvin’ for some remedies.” Krummi explains, “With frozen tears on an empty stomach, they ask for a helping hand, often with no success, due to the prejudices of society. They roam with the wind anonymously and invisibly like the outcast angels of the universe.”
Once the album is released, hopefully early in 2021, Krummi has two more albums waiting to be worked on, with plans to release one a year for the next three years—COVID allowing. But he’s keen to keep going regardless of the pandemic. “I think we, the creatives in fields that demand crowds or exhibitions and concerts, will have to adapt to a new reality. Nothing’s going away but the enthusiasm of people will be different. There’s not going to be so many live performances, so we’ll have to start right away to adapt to the new reality. It’s evolution.” He ponders for a moment. “Something has to die for something new to grow.”
Krummi’s new single ‘Frozen Teardrops’ is out now, and available to stream or download on Spotify. You can also follow Krummi on Facebook.
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